Singapore was lucky. On 11 November, they witnessed an epic main event between two feisty females in Angela Lee and Mei Yamaguchi, that saw Lee capture the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship. 

Now months later, another exciting battle unraveled inside the ONE Championship cage. This time, a world title changed hands and a legend fell.

There is something special about the lion city that just brings the best out of combat sports athletes. The honor and prestige of the ONE Championship cage extracts true warrior performances from those who step inside its steel confines.

A fighter must have tenacity, courage, and skill. These are the prerequisites of world beaters — the building blocks of champions. Yet hidden deep beneath the surface, past the bravado of even the most revered legends, lies the intrinsic quality of winners.

Yet even if fighters pour their heart and soul into their craft, as is the case with the fighters on this list, the hard truth is that in MMA, there are winners and then there are losers.

Let us take a look at what could be next for the winners of ONE: DEFENDING HONOR.

Eduard Folayang

The 32-year-old former school teacher Eduard Folayang delivered the finest performance of his career with a resounding victory over Japanese MMA veteran Shinya Aoki. Folayang withstood Aoki’s vaunted grappling game, which was on full showcase in the first round, and did just enough to last until he was able to shake off the jitters.

Folayang put his world-class wushu skills on display and brought the crowd up to their feet with a spectacular second-round comeback, capped off by a scintillating third-round finish.

Did anyone honestly see that coming? Aoki, who had not lost in five years and was riding a nine-fight winning streak heading into the matchup, was expected to be met with some resistance. But no one would dare bet against him.

Yet the signs were there. Folayang’s striking is the best it has ever been, as evidenced in wins over Tetsuya Yamada and Adrian Pang. Since his training stint in the United States, Folayang’s wrestling has also been absolutely on point, with spot on takedown and submission defense.

All these skills are exactly what was needed to dethrone a legend, and Eduard Folayang showed up.

A well-deserved break is in the cards for Folayang, and while he was able to realize a lifelong dream of becoming an MMA world champion, Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao says the real work has only just begun.

Winning the title is one thing, defending it and making sure it stays around your waist is a whole different ball game.

The lay of the land at lightweight is a treacherous one, with worthy challengers Ariel Sexton and Lowen Tynanes looking for title shots as well. Folayang and Tynanes have unfinished business. Timofey Nastyukhin can also make a jump to lightweight to face Folayang again.

Marat Gafurov

When Gafurov first lifted the title from Narantungalag Jadambaa last year, he was pushed to near exhaustion before applying his trademark finisher, the rear-naked choke, which came as a saving grace. Jadambaa had almost stopped Gafurov, but the Russian champion found a way to persevere and come away with the win.

Their rematch was highly-anticipated because of that classic first bout, which is what makes Gafurov’s fluid performance so intensely satisfying.

Gafurov maneuvered Jadambaa all across the cage with ease. The Mongolian, known for his tremendous strength and power, just could not deal with Gafurov’s slick Brazilian jiu-jitsu this time around.

The result was another submission finish for the ONE Featherweight World Champion, his sixth straight via RNC — a probably world record.

After the fight, Gafurov expressed his interest to face then-champion Shinya Aoki in a ONE Championship super fight of epic proportions, not knowing that Eduard Folayang would score the biggest upset of his career and dethrone the legendary Japanese warrior.

Gafurov could perhaps challenge Folayang for the ONE Lightweight World Championship, which would give him the opportunity to become a two-division champion. More importantly, however, there are a number of featherweights waiting in line for a title shot, and Gafurov will not run out of worthy challengers anytime soon.

There is Malaysia’s Ev Ting who has quietly put together an impressive run with a string of solid victories. Australia’s Martin Nguyen has improved considerably since the last time he fought Gafurov on short notice. Team Lakay’s Honorio Banario, a former ONE Featherweight World Champion, has also put together a nifty little run.

Amir Khan

Evolve MMA’s Amir Khan just added a significant feather to his cap. He overcame a Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion in Vaughn Donayre to win in a terrific come-from-behind effort that drove the local Singaporean crowd into a frenzy.

Khan braved through the pain of having his arm and shoulder hyperextended in the wrong direction after getting caught in a very deep kimura by the Filipino Donayre. Fans from the stands screamed for Khan to tap, and he would be right to do so. Khan, a mere 22-years-old, has his whole career ahead of him.

And by all accounts, he appears to be an immensely talented young man. Great stand-up, very capable ground game. The last thing he needs is a torn ligament from something like maybe not tapping when he should have.

Khan proved a number of things with his amazing feat. He proved he could endure what was probably excruciating pain, he could come back from being nearly finished and get the finish himself, and that there is probably no situation wherein he would ever give up, at all.

More importantly, however, Khan proved he has the heart. And that’s something that just is not taught in any class.

Khan is in one of the deepest divisions in ONE Championship, but there are a number of high-level opponents for him to test his skills against, now that he has most likely graduated from challenging the gatekeepers.

There are the Philippines’ Eric and Edward Kelly, two brothers from Baguio City who are ready, willing, and able to give Khan a test. There is Malaysia’s Keanu Subba, and even Australia’s Rob Lisita who could test the youngster.

Whichever route he decides to take, Khan is ready for some big fights.

Other Winners

Aside from the top three winners at last Friday night’s fights, there are other fighters who deserve honorable mentions.

Debuting Singaporean female strawweight Tiffany “Soul Crusher” Teo absolutely shined in her first promotional appearance. She completely dominated the fight from start to finish against a scrappy Egyptian fighter with a tendency to make fights as tough as possible. Teo improves her record to a perfect 4-0 and more importantly, she is now competing on the biggest stage of Asian MMA.

Kotetsu Boku got a victory in a way you would never want to get one — with your opponent suffering an injury. Timofey Nastyukhin was pushing him around with power shots until the Russian injured his leg. It would have been interesting to see how the fight could have progressed, but we will have to wait until Timofey heals and maybe he and Boku can go at it again.

Roger Huerta looked like he had fought his last fight just months ago, but he is back at it once more, impressing in a thorough victory over hard puncher Adrian Pang. Huerta showcased a dazzling array of his signature striking techniques and what fans got was a classic “El Matador” performance.

Overall, ONE: DEFENDING HONOR was a huge success. There were epic battles all throughout the card and fans certainly got their money’s worth. 

DOHA – An Asian zone World Cup qualifier between the bottom two sides in Group A, who have won just one game in eight between them, may not seem a particularly noteworthy match.

But when China face Qatar in Kunming on Tuesday, it will also be a clash between arguably the most ambitious and certainly in their region biggest spending nations who, in the long-term, could both play a central role in shaping the sport’s future.

In the short-term both could deal an almost fatal blow to each other’s already very slim chances of reaching Russia 2018.

“It would be easy simply to dismiss the China Qatar game as a dead rubber or as a match between weaker nations on the periphery of world football,” said Professor Simon Chadwick, a British-based Asian football expert.

“However, these are two aspiring football nations, with major football ambitions.

“Both nations still hold out hope of making Russia 2018 and failure to do so would be an embarrassment and a setback in their desire to be considered as being among the world’s leading football nations.

“The game therefore has huge symbolic meaning.” It is the World Cup where both countries wish to make a mark on the global game.

Both have invested heavily to fuel their ambitions.

China, which aims to be a footballing superpower by 2050, has spent an estimated $1 billion developing its domestic game, says Chadwick.

It harbours hopes of hosting its own World Cup and, one day, winning football’s greatest prize.

Qatar is in the middle of transforming itself by splurging $200 billion-plus to host the 2022 tournament. The stadiums alone for that World Cup will cost some $10 billion.

Both countries’ ambition also represents a challenge to the established world football order, says China-based Cameron Wilson, founder of the Wild East Football website.

“I think it is clear the balance of power is shifting away from Europe, albeit slowly, and it’s no coincidence that money is a big part of that – neither Chinese nor Qatari football lacks serious financial backing,” Wilson told AFP.

But with ambition comes pressure, and neither nation is responding too well at the moment.

China have one point from their four qualifying games.

Their last home match – a 1-0 defeat by Syria in Xi’an – saw angry fans protest in the streets.

World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar are only slightly better off.

They have clawed three points from four matches, following a 1-0 victory in Doha last month against Syria.

But only the top two teams from the group qualify automatically for Russia.

Iran head the group with 10 points and Uzbekistan are second with nine. The third-placed team will have a play-off chance to get to Russia, the position currently held by South Korea with seven points.

Emphasising how desperate China and Qatar are to qualify for the 2018 tournament, both have sacked their coaches during the current round of qualifying.

Notably, China have appointed World Cup winning-coach Marcello Lippi on a reputed $20 million-a-year contract to revive hope in their almost moribund World Cup campaign.

Tuesday’s game will be his first big test in charge of “Team Dragon”.

Qatar turned back to popular former coach Jorge Fossati after losing their first two matches in this round of qualifying, despite storming through the last stage.

Lippi said he and the Chinese nation are hoping for a miracle.

Fossati is insistent that whatever happens in Kunming will not be decisive.

“We are very optimistic about the result of the game in China, but it is not a definitive game,” he said before his team flew out.

Last week China played a behind closed doors friendly in preparation for Tuesday’s match.

In contrast, Qatar beat Russia 2-1 in Doha in a match broadcast live on television.

“We wanted to help Marcello if he wanted to watch the game,” joked Fossati.

Defeat on Tuesday and the costs could be high.

For Qatar, it could mean the end of any hope of qualifying for their first World Cup before they host in 2022, and showing a sceptical footballing world they deserve to host the tournament.

China could pay a price off the pitch, says Chadwick, where continued football failure could unleash the “potential for political and socio-cultural fallout at home”.

ONE Championship stormed its way back to the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday Night, 11 November, with ONE: DEFENDING HONOR and the event did not disappoint.

The sold-out arena was sent into a frenzy when Eduard “Landslide” Folayang won via TKO against modern-day legend Shinya Aoki to claim the ONE Lightweight World Championship and end his incredible 1,316-day title reign.

Besides the unforgettable main event, there were other amazing feats during the night. This included Ahmed Mujtaba edging out fellow unbeaten prospect Benedict Ang, hometown heroine Tiffany Teo dominating Egypt’s Walaa Abbas in her promotional debut, and ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov tapping out former champ Narantungalag Jadambaa and earning his sixth consecutive rear-naked choke victory in the process.

There were many extraordinary moments at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR, but here are the top five highlights of the night.

Highlight #1: Eduard Folayang Fulfills His Destiny

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang has finally achieved his dream. For the past five years, the three-time SEA Games Wushu gold medalist has made it his mission to win the ONE Lightweight World Championship, and in recent weeks, he has been telling everyone that he would defeat the legend Shinya Aoki. 

He said that his time was now. He was right.

The Filipino survived Aoki’s relentless submission wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu attack in the first round, started firing off punches, kicks, and knees at the tail end of the second, and finally put him away with a knee and a barrage of punches to claim the belt. 

As Folayang celebrated inside the cage, confetti rained down from the rafters and the new champion posing with the gold was a sight to behold.

This title win means so much more than being the best lightweight fighter in Asian MMA. It is a testament to his spirit. The poverty-stricken son of illiterate parents fulfilled his destiny of being a world champion. That is the ultimate cinderella story, and he will serve as an inspiration and a beacon of hope for Filipino youth for ages to come.

Highlight #2: Michelle Nicolini Successfully Debuts and Puts the Strawweight Division on Notice

Michelle Nicolini, one of the best female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world, made her ONE debut and put on a clinic against Mona Samir. She absolutely controlled the Egyptian wrestling champion from the opening bell, took her back in a matter of seconds, and patiently bided her time before submitting her with the rear-naked choke.

Even though this was the first time Nicolini has stepped inside a cage in over two years, she looked, and felt, more comfortable than ever. She also made it clear last night that she wanted more fights and ultimately, the belt.

Though we are waiting for a possible ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship, it is a good bet that Nicolini, an eight-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, will be in the inaugural title match.

Highlight #3: Amir Khan Overcomes Deep Kimura to Submit Vaughn Donayre

Amir Khan certainly made an impression last night. The Singaporean proved in front of a hometown crowd that his game is certainly evolving, thanks in part to the world-class trainers at Evolve MMA.

Though the local favorite nearly finished Vaughn “The Spawn” Donayre with a rear-naked choke in the first round, the Dubai-based lightweight came out refreshed in the second stanza, and after some back-and-forth grappling, got a favorable position, locked in a deep kimura and torqued the submission with all his might.

Somehow, Khan survived, and in the third round the Singaporean Muay Thai champion did the unthinkable — he beat the Pan Asian BJJ Champion at his own game and submitted him with a rear-naked choke. 

Highlight #4: Roger Huerta and Adrian Pang Put on a Show

Outside of the main event, perhaps the most exciting fight of the night was a lightweight showdown featuring Roger “El Matador” Huerta and Adrian “The Hunter” Pang.

These two warriors fearlessly exchanged strikes with one another all throughout the contest, with Huerta getting the better of the slugfest in the first two rounds and utilizing his wrestling more so in the second stanza. But a broken thumb sustained during the match would eventually slow him down, allowing the Aussie to become more dominant in the third round.

Huerta pulled away with a much-needed split decision victory, but even though both were tired, neither of these two backed down and they kept a lively pace going until the very end. It was non-stop fireworks and everyone loves that, especially ONE fans.

Highlight #5: Niko Soe’s Beautiful Armbar

The long rivalry of Singapore versus Malaysia raged on at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR, and the home nation got the win as up-and-coming flyweight Niko Soe locked in an armbar and left the Singapore Indoor Stadium roaring in delight.

Haidar tried desperately to fight out of it and he did all the right things, but the Singaporean was able to adjust his position, tighten his grip, and used his sheer strength to force the tap. He got the victory and, quite arguably, the most memorable submission of the evening.